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Seaway Dance Hall at Copalis Beach Rocked Out

By Wm. May
Published: 03/01/17 Topics: Comments: 0

Just West of the Green Lantern Tavern in Copalis Beach Washington State is a very strange looking building where Rock and Roll reigned supreme in the 1960's.

Hundreds of thousands of Quonset huts were produced by the U.S. Military in World War Two, These prefabricated structures of galvanized steel were semicircular cross-selection looked like half of barrel looking upside down on the ground.

After the war, Quonset huts were sold as surplus to the public and a very large version ended up along side the road by the Pacific ocean where enterprising music lovers decided it would be a perfect venue for the hoards of teenagers who came to the beach each weekend.

Dubbed the Seaway Dance Hall, many young rock bands got their first serious gigs there and my group "The District Five" was one of them.

At the age of 15, we were made to feel like stars as the walls of the hut seemed to pulse and swell by guitar amps played far too loud and dancers who jumped, and yelled and screamed. We played a little better, played a little longer and glowed with the acceptance the crowds gave us as we were starting our musical careers.

Bigger name bands from Washington State and the Northwest also appeared including names that may be unfamiliar except by those who haunted the Seaway all summer long.

Bands like - The Beachcombers, Little Bill & The Bluenotes, The Candidos, The Chaotics (Sumner), The Chessmen, Dennis Wayne and the Cole Jets, The Epics, The Frantics, The Galaxies, The Intricates, Noblemen, Cymantha McGugin & The Cherry Frost , The Titans.

The Seaway also showed movies during the slow season, but the wise owner had put the chairs onto risers which could be rolled out of the building to clear the floor for dances which were only held in the months of June, July and August.

Today the building sits dark and quiet just waiting for a new generate of music lovers to rediscover what great music, salt air and a bunch of fun loving people can do to transform a humble Quonset hut into a musical Manson, at least for a while.

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Author: Wm. May – Beach Lover, Plumbob Publishing
Blog #: 0517 – 03/01/17

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24 Miles of Canals at Ocean Shores

By William May
Published: 01/22/16 Topics: Ocean Shores WA Comments: 0

I know you’ve heard places referred to as the Venice of the north or the Venice of where ever but in the case of Ocean Shores, the comparison is apt. Here me out before you accuse me of hyperbole: when they were building a town out of this sand bar, they built in 24 miles of canals!

That’s 24 miles of canals in a town with a population of less than 6,000. There might be more miles of canals than roads downtown. So it’s not trite to call Ocean Shores the Venice of the West Coast.

Unlike Venice though, these canals aren’t crowded with oil slicks and boats! They’re slow moving pristine fresh water, despite the whole town being a peninsula between the ocean and a saltwater bay. That means you can tucker yourself on the ocean beach, either riding horses in the salty spray, or flying kites in the sand, and then the next day relax in a canoe for a mellow day on the canals.

Where did this canals come from? Well up until the 60’s there wasn’t much going on in Ocean Shores. Some farms and ranches here and there, mostly people that thought their ocean beach was the best kept secret in the world.

Soon or later, word got out about the seemingly endless dunes and beaches on the Washington coast, and the tourists came. Somebody had the bright idea of building world class nightclubs, and all of a sudden, the Hollywood jet set was partying it up in Ocean Shores!

But none of this has anything to do with the canals right? Well when you’re catering to celebrities that have been to all the fanciest places in the world, you’ve got to class the joint up a bit! Canals it was then, surely using Venice as the inspiration. But unlike Venice, Ocean Shores has roads too, so you don’t have to abide a nasally Italian tenor.

The canal system is centered around Duke Lake, which is a big long green body of water running north to south the whole length of the town. The Grand Canal runs parallel to Duke Lake, and many tributary canals flood out in all directions from the Grand Canal, with each smaller canal being the focal point of a residential cul-de-sac.

Don’t forget then, that even though the town is appropriately named Ocean Shores, and there is tons to do on the ocean beach, there is plenty to do on the bucolic Ocean Shores canals.

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Author: William May, Oyhut Bay Vacation Rentals
Blog #: 0487 – 01/22/16

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State Gives Razor Clams the Boot

By William May
Published: 05/18/15 Topics: Fishing, Government, Ocean Shores WA Comments: 0

And just like that it was over.

This has been one of the best razor clam digging seasons in years. But Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife giveth and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife taketh away.

Today state shellfish managers announced, "Digging will remain closed on ocean beaches for the remainder of the razor clam season because of elevated toxin levels."

The result in cancellation of the two openings that were tentatively scheduled to start May 15 and May 22.

The culprit is domoic acid, a natural toxin produced by certain types of marine algae. This is bad stuff which can be harmful or even fatal if consumed in sufficient quantities. The Clams absorb the acid in their fat cells and can retain it even after the ocean is free of the stuff.

So if you dug any clams and froze, bottled or canned them it is now time to toss those critters in the trash and write it off to bad luck.

But there is good news. The phenomenon of domoic acid is nothing unusual. Clams have been going through this cycle forever. The waters will clear and razor clamming will resume again this autumn.

Until then we'll just have it switch over to greasy hamburgers and deep fried fish. Is it no wonder we all love Razors?

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Author: William May – Razor Clammer, OceanShores.com
Blog #: 0396 – 05/18/15

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